5 considerations for leveraging your coffee vending offer

Vending has come a long way since the first recorded machine in first-century Roman Egypt vending holy water. A few centuries later coffee was discovered. Who would have thought that this would be a marriage in heaven?

Coffee Tower, Station & Bar & Blog

 

In the UK, we now drink approximately 95 million cups of coffee per day! (source: British Coffee Association). It’s big business. Convenient, quick, bean to cup coffee is in demand beyond the traditional high street café and coffee shop.

Coffee vending has evolved from the days of Rudd-Melikian’s pioneering coffee vending machine company in 1947. Today vending operators are looking at ways to leverage their offer, create a coffee experience and stand out from the crowd.

In this highly competitive marketplace, operators are having to up their game. The opportunity to reach a wider audience in more locations has never been greater.

How can you attract new clients and increase revenue with existing ones? With a vending furniture solution.

Now consider the following:

1. Environment and Location

Where will the coffee equipment be located? Office or workplace, hospitality, healthcare, educational premises or competitive retail space? Take note of the environment. Footfall, peak periods, visibility, light, seating and competition.

Do you understand the end-user and have you considered company culture and ethos?  Provenance, sustainability and environmental impact are influential. It helps to state values at the initial brief as it can impact upon materials used and manufacturing processes.

Will you be limited by available services? Electric points, water? Are you looking to provide a machine that offers fresh milk options, powdered or granulated milk? Will you need an additional refrigeration unit?

Will your design need to take into consideration accessibility for installation? If your equipment is in a public area you may need to add lockable doors and security shutters.

 

2. Equipment

Are you looking to house a single counter-top coffee machine or multiple? What additional equipment is required, how is it maintained and what access is required? Perhaps you want to include a snack display, food service equipment or a microwave?

Many barista-style coffee machines offer fresh milk Perhaps refrigeration will compliment your hot drink offer?

Choosing a bespoke coffee tower, station, bar or base unit design ensures equipment is safe, secure and hygienic.

Coffee Station

 

3. Materials, Accessories and Aesthetic

The possibilities are endless when it comes to design. One size doesn’t fit all. A custom manufactured coffee tower can complement or match existing décor. Alternatively, you can create a tower that stands out. The latter is often used in competitive retail environments by established coffee brands and coffee machine vending operators.

The Egger Group provide quality decorative laminates and lacquered boards for architects and designers worldwide that enable a multitude of colour combinations and finishes. Their innovative approach means they’re at the forefront of the latest trends and design with antibacterial properties as standard. Their website is packed with inspiration including a 3D Texture Visualiser and Décor Combination Guide.

The UK’s largest distributor of decorative surfaces, IDS, also provides a broad portfolio to suit all purposes and budgets. They even offer bespoke laminate boards if you can’t see what you want.

When it comes to finishing your vending furniture project with lighting and hardware, it’s a great opportunity to get creative. Hafele is a leader in door handles, locks and accessories and provides a plethora of ideas.

Tell a story with your design like the Contact Coffee Company, design to fit locations like Boost Bar and their self-assembly furniture concept (perfect for city office spaces) stay on-brand like Down to Earth or look after your employees like IG Masonry.

Having the expertise to work with these materials and use them to their full potential is key. Care and quality craftmanship will ensure durability. Knowing which product, colour combination and finish are best for each brief, come from experience.

Contact Coffee Company

 

4. Coffee Ancillaries

You will need ancillaries for your coffee offer. If you are locating your machine in a retail environment, convenience store or service station, for example, you will need coffee cup and lid dispensers alongside condiment trays.

If the coffee tower is located in office space, then shelving or cupboards for cups and mugs is advantageous.

Litter chutes are always a welcome addition that can be seamlessly incorporated into the design and offer the complete package.

Coffee Ancillaries

 

5. Branding

More coffee brands are using custom furniture to enhance the customer experience and differentiate from the competition than ever before. Using a professional company to integrate your brand into your coffee tower design will create an impact.

Using wraps, graphics and vinyl can be highly effective. Metamark is a trusted UK manufacturer of high quality and specialist vinyl for a variety of applications including COVID-19 floor graphics and wall décor. Brand your own for your workplace or create a destination with existing logos and images.

Lighting options and stand-off signage make a statement and when added to your coffee vending project, give a luxe feel and ambience that’s inviting and will showcase equipment.

Vinyl Graphics

 

From a small business seeking a coffee and hot beverage vending offer to national operators looking for multi-site installations, Nebrak has over 30 years of experience in the design, manufacture and installation of custom coffee solutions.

We’d love the opportunity to show you how your coffee offer can go next level with our coffee vending furniture. Contact us with your brief and let us work our magic:

+44 (0)1803 813900 | enquiries@nebrak.com

 

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